The portal for the first time aggregates
information from the Vatican's various print, online, radio and television
media.

It's the latest effort by the Vatican to bring its evangelising
message to a greater, internet-savvy audience
and follows forays into Facebook and YouTube.

The pope put the site online himself by
tapping an iPad, said Thaddeus Jones, project co-ordinator and an official with
the Pontifical Council for Social Communications. Moments later the pope sent
the tweet.

The 84-year-old pontiff was then shown
the portal and its features in greater detail. Jones described him as
"interested and impressed", and "clearly enjoying it."

"He was clearly in awe at the new
technology," said Jones. "It's a lighter moment but also an important
one, it marks a new way of communicating."

Benedict has been bedeviled by
communications woes during much of his six-year papacy, much of it the fault of
a large Vatican bureaucracy that doesn't always communicate well internally.

Officials hope the new portal, while
mostly designed to provide Vatican news in a user-friendly setting to the
outside world, might also improve the Vatican's own internal communications by
sharing information.

The portal was launched for the feast day
of St Peter and Paul, which falls on 29 June but officially begins with a
vesper service on 28 June. Wednesday also marks the 60th anniversary of
Benedict's ordination as a priest.